STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann,

 UNL Extension Educator,

 Webster County

April 13, 2012 Edition
Oh gosh, where do I start? There is so much going on in the agriculture world right now. Of course planting is underway all around us. I know it is a little earlier than normal, as do the farmers, but I don’t blame them. I think I would take the risk of frost too, especially if you look at the long range forecast. At any rate it is good to see those tractors and planters out. There has also been news this past week about the FDA banning or actually the “volunteer” restriction in use of antibiotics in livestock. We could also talk about EPA’s decision that the widely used herbicide 2,4-D would remain on the market, denying a petition from the environmental group, Natural Resources Defense Council, that sought to revoke the chemical’s approval. This is good news, but it seems that the attacks on scientifically proven safe ag production tools like antibiotics, atrazine and now 2,4-D is constant. We will likely see more of this down the road.
Ok, now let’s revisit “Pink Slime.” But first let’s call it what it really is - “Lean Finely Textured Beef” or as the industry labels it LFTB. When this current “Pink Slime” fiasco started a month ago, I gave my initial thoughts in my March 16th column, but today I put together some information that may put some more light on the effects of this bizarre twist to another attack on animal agriculture. I even hate to use that moniker, as it is not that at all. That is what is wrong with all of this - the non-deserving “ick” or “ewww” factor that has unfortunately been created and unfairly pushed forward by an unethical reality cooking show host, an ABC blogger, and of course ABC news, and then social media. They all hijacked the truth, minimized science, frightened consumers and created a false crisis, just to boost their ratings.
In the less than 30 days that this has unfolded, what I feared has taken place, and it is costly to the beef industry and will also resonate through the grocery stores. Within the last three weeks, Beef Products Inc. suspended operations at plants in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kansas; and Waterloo, Iowa - idling about 650 workers. BPI's flagship South Sioux City complex has been spared for now, but production and hours there have been significantly reduced. This past week, another producer, AFA Foods, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Beef producers have also taken a hit. Boxed beef cutout values fell sharply lower for two weeks in a row, and cash fed cattle and dressed beef mostly $1-2/cwt lower.
Beef prices for consumers have been steadily rising for some time. The retail price of lean ground beef has climbed 13.7 percent to $3.92 per pound (USDA). You can bet your bottom dollar that that price has and will continue to climb. Lean finely textured beef was being used for a reason - it was a way to get lean beef cheaper than any alternative process. This controversy has taken more than 850 million pounds off the market, which will likely lead to higher prices for beef. Cargill economists indicate that it will now take 1.5 million additional cattle per year to replace LFTB taken off the market. Can anyone say “foreign beef?” There is no doubt that we’ll soon see demand outstrip supply as the drought-depleted herds are slowly rebuilt. At roughly 93 million, the U.S. cattle herd is about 4 percent smaller than it was five years ago and right now we’ve got the lowest number of cows we’ve had since about the time I was born. To top it off slaughterhouses will grow even quieter in coming weeks as ranchers hold back heifers for breeding to replenish herds.
I was pleased when officials from Nebraska and surrounding states held a conference with the theme - “Dude It’s Beef!” All I can do is say “Right On”! The fact is - LFTB is beef. The beef trimmings that are used are absolutely edible. In fact, no process can somehow make an inedible meat edible; it’s impossible. In reality, the production process simply removes fat and makes the remaining beef more lean and suited to a variety of beef products that satisfy consumers’ desire for leaner and safer foods. We need to understand that at the end of the day, it is meat. It is USDA approved, it’s legal, it’s nutritious, it's extricated with centrifuge, instead of a knife, and it is ground up in ground beef and it is safe, and just like all beef, is a good or excellent source of 10 essential nutrients including protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins.
While it may be true that around 60-70% of ground beef contains the LFTB, what is wrong is that these idiots in the news and blog business made that out to be “70% of the hamburger we eat is pink slime” when in reality the USDA allows no more than 15% to be mixed in and most is far below that level. The meat scraps were not scooped off the slaughter house floor and they were not treated with household ammonia. The detractors need to be more honest and forthright. Hopefully, consumers and producers find reliable sources to reach out to educate themselves and find out there shouldn't be a concern. For more information I suggest going to  http://beefisbeef.com/  or  http://www.meatmythcrushers.com/ .   .
This issue won’t be settled by rational debate of facts, but by an emotional response to the manner in which the production process was presented. Questions remain, but opponents, fear mongers, or so-called journalists who were after an audience, regardless of who it hurt, all won in the court of public opinion before supporters and the beef industry had a chance to make a point. What is really upsetting to me is that sound science and ingenuity found a way to maximize beef production with higher safety than ever before and then this valuable and viable extension of the beef system was not derailed by scientific debate - but rather an email slur, a TV mischaracterization and a social media push against it. The only winners in this non-debate are America’s pets, whose food just got better. The losers are consumers whose food bill just got bigger. I think I will go fire up my grill and slap on some burgers - LFTB and probably some seasoning mixed in!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home  .